JPS2110

Japanese society and culture

Wendy Smith

8 points - 3 hours per week - First semester - Clayton - Prerequisites: First-year Japanese language or Japanese studies sequence or combination

Objectives Students taking this subject should gain a solid appreciation of society and the interaction between society and culture in present-day Japan. They should become familiar with the main institutions and ideas shaping life in contemporary Japan. They will explore a variety of popular cultural forms relevant to contemporary Japanese society, including the electronic media, literature, music and film.

Synopsis This subject surveys Japanese society and culture since 1945. It focuses on basic social structure and cultural life in contemporary Japan, and on the various challenges which are confronting Japanese society and culture at the end of this century. After examining important aspects of Japanese society such as its mosaic of inequality, the organisation of work, the education system and the family, the subject considers selected areas of social and cultural life which are currently being debated in Japan, with a special emphasis on popular culture.

Assessment Essay (3000 words): 60% - Examination (1 hour): 10% - Tutorial presentation (equivalent to 2000 words): 30%

Prescribed texts

Sugimoto Y An introduction to Japanese society CUP, 1997

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